Biology 200: Science of Human Nutrition
Course Syllabus: Winter 2011
Instructor: William “Will” Brown
Phone:
Email: wbrown@oc.ctc.edu (no confidential or sensitive issues, please)
Consultation hours: Tuesday and Thursday 4-5PM or by appointment
Text: Contemporary Nutrition 8th Ed. by Wardlaw and Smith
McGraw and Hills, New York ISBN-13: 978-0077354817
Lab Manual: Human Nutrition Lab Manual 2nd Ed by A.D. Elauria
Olympic College, Bremerton WA (Available at OC Bookstore)
Class Hours: Lecture: 5:00 – 6:50 PM Tuesday and Thursday, ST 148
Lab:
7:00 – 8:50 PM Thursday, ST 142
Course Description:
This is a combined lecture and lab course for science majors and pre-professionals. It satisfies the
nutrition requirement for students entering pre-nursing at OC and UW, dental hygiene, midwifery, and
nutrition science. It is highly recommended for all other students entering allied health professions. This
course covers the basic principles of vitamins and minerals; their sources; their relationships to
metabolism, nutritional status, and common health problems. A brief introduction to Naturopathic
Theory of Health and Nutrition is included.
Prerequisites:
Chem 121 or Chem 141/142, or Chem 214/242 and a minimum of 5 credits in any college biology
courses with a lab; such as Bio 160, 201, 241 or Chem 131. All classes must be passed with a grade of 2.0
or better.
Objectives and Expectations:
This course will focus mainly on the study of human nutrition with emphasis on the requirements and
metabolism of essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, minerals, and trace elements.
The lab portion of this course provides hands-on experience with the concepts and materials discussed
in the lecture and an opportunity to learn some of the techniques and analyses used in the science of
nutrition. This is a fast paced course and it is expected that students will spend 2 hrs of studying and lab
report writing for every hour spent in the classroom. The instructor is always available for help
whenever needed.
Credits: 5 credits
Grading System:
3 lecture exams:
Lab Worksheets/Reports
300pts
125pts
Research Project
Total:
100pts
525 pts
Course Grade = Total points earned X 100
525
Grade Scale:
100-95% = 4.0-3.9 or A
94-90% = 3.8-3.5 or A89-87% = 3.4-3.2 or B+
86-84% = 3.1-2.9 or B
83-80% = 2.8-2.5 or B79-77% = 2.4-2.2 or C+
76-74% = 2.1-1.9 or C
73-70% = 1.8-1.5 or C-
69-67% = 1.4-1.2 or D+
66-64% = 1.1-0.9 or D
63-60% = 0.8-0.7 or D>60% = 0.0 or F
Lecture Exams:
The first two lecture exams will include multiple choice questions, matching, short answer and essay.
The final will be broken down as follows: 30% will be questions from the previous two exams, 20% will
be from questions submitted by the students along with their research project, and the last 50% of the
test will be from the last portion of the class.
Research Project:
You are responsible for putting together a research presentation regarding a health situation affected by
diet. Presentations will be 15 minutes in length and must include the use of visual aids (PowerPoint is
the preferred method) You may work alone or as partners, but if you work as partners then both
partners will receive the same grade.
Included subject matter that must be covered in your presentation:
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Background on the condition; ie: Is the cause of the condition genetic or environmental, etiology
of condition, population distribution, pathology, lifestyle impacts, etc.
Are there other forms of treatment other than diet alone; ie: surgery or pharmaceutical
intervention?
3 day diet plan to meet the specific needs of a patient with the condition you are studying
3 questions that are able to be answered in 1-3 sentences
Bibliography of at least 5 sources (and by sources I don’t mean Wikipedia)
A copy of the presentation must be emailed to the instructor by noon on the day of the presentation.
Points will be deducted if handed in late. The submitted questions will be included as part of the final.
Grading of Research Projects:
Peer evaluation sheets will be given to all the students in the class and classmates will evaluate your
work based on oral presentation only. The lowest and highest grade will be dropped and the remainder
of the grades will be averaged. The average will be 50% of your grade. Instructor evaluation will be the
other 50% of the grade.
Lab Worksheets and Reports:
Lab reports and worksheets will only be accepted from students who are present at the time of the lab
exercise. There will be two lab reports and six worksheets each with varying points depending on
difficulty. Worksheets and reports will be due 1 week after the lab exercise. Late work will not be
accepted unless under extreme circumstances. If you know you are going to be late when an assignment
is due it is your responsibility to make sure it is handed in on time. No homework will be allowed to be
turned in after graded assignments are returned. You may copy data from classmates but you are
expected to analyze and interpret your data on your own.
Full Lab Report Format:
For the two full lab reports that are due the following format will be used:
1. Title of Exercise
2. Objectives – What is the purpose of the exercise?
3. Materials and Methods – Give a description of how the experiment was done. Include any
citations from the manual and any deviations or changes that were made.
4. Results and Discussion – Include any formatted data, tables, graphs, and drawings. Also include
interpretation, analysis, and explanation of the data.
5. Conclusion – Do you reject or accept your hypothesis? Give a general statement about what you
learned in the exercise.
Negative results and failed experiments are more common in science than you think. Points will not be
taken away for failed experiments or conflicting data. It is important that you understand that it is not
how well your experiment works. It is important that give an explanation given your data. If the
experiment did work, what does it mean in light of what you have learned and know about nutrition? If
it did not work, why didn’t it and what could you do to correct it. It is not the result but what you do
with it that matters.
A brief word on Plagiarism:
Webster’s dictionary defines plagiarize as follows, “to commit literary theft: present as new and original an
idea or product derived from an existing source.” Plagiarism is never tolerated in this class. Copying from old
reports, from classmates, or from other sources is dishonorable and an insult to your intelligence and
capabilities. No points will be awarded for work that is obviously plagiarized.
General Class Policies:
1. Attendance – Although attendance is not mandatory, your commitment to attend both lecture
and lab is critical for you to be successful in this class. You will be responsible for any materials
that you missed due to your absence; this includes important announcements, notes, and
handouts. The instructor is under no obligation to furnish you with lecture notes and handouts
that you missed. Because lab materials are perishable, missed labs cannot be made-up.
2. Participation and class behavior
a. The use of cell phones is extremely disruptive and should not be done during labs,
lectures and exams. The use of a cell phone during an exam will be looked upon as
cheating. Therefore, if you are seen using your cell phone during an exam you will be
asked to hand in the exam and no points will be awarded for that exam.
b. Refrain from using a laptop computer for things other than taking notes.
c. Refrain from arriving late or leaving in the middle of the lecture. If you do need to leave
early, please let the instructor know before class begins.
d. Talking during the lecture about non-lecture related topics is extremely disruptive to
your fellow students and the instructor. Please limit your discussions.
e. Rowdy behavior is not tolerated. You will be asked to leave the classroom if engaged in
such activities.
3. Dropping the class – The last day to drop the class and receive an automatic “W” is Feb 15th.
Unless unusual circumstances, the points you received up to your departure will be the points
used to calculate your grade if you don’t formally drop the class.
4. ADA statement – If you are a student with a recognized disability and will need accommodation,
please contact the Disability Support Services located in the Humanities & Student Services
building room 204 (phone: 360.475.7540).
You are expected to be courteous to the instructor, lab staff, and fellow classmates. Attendance,
participation, and class behavior are important in making borderline grade decisions. Effort is always
rewarded in this class.
Lab Rules:
1. Eating and drinking are strictly prohibited in the lab unless permitted by the instructor.
2. Never taste any chemical in the lab.
3. Read the scheduled lab exercise before coming to class. Most problems can be avoided by
knowing your procedure before you start.
4. Be on time, as there will be a brief introductory lecture preceding the lab.
5. Keep your work station need and clean. Put broken glass and dirty glassware into
appropriate containers.
6. Be systematic and organized. Label tubes, beakers, etc. Read the labels on reagent bottles
carefully. Write down all observations on your worksheet.
7. Report chemical spills or other accidents to the instructor.
8. Never leave the lab without completing the assigned exercise since this can negatively
impact your grade.
Biology 200 Lecture Schedule
Week
1
2
Topic
Introduction, Nutrition: a Biology Perspective
Nutrition: a Biology Perspective, Carbohydrates
Assigned Reading Chapters
1&3
3&4
3
4
5
6
7
Carbohydrates, Proteins
First Lecture Exam, Proteins
Lipids, Vitamins
Minerals, Water, Phytochemicals
Second Lecture Exam, Metabolism, Energy
Balance
Current nutritional status, popular diets, What
is a good diet?
Kid’s Meal Assignment and Class presentation
Wrap-up and final lecture exam
4&6
6
5&8
9
7
8
9
10
2
Biology 200 Lab Schedule
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Exercise
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
8
Topic Title
Anthropometric tests
Serving Size
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Enzyme Beano
Lipids
Vitamins
Kid’s Meal Challenge Workshop
Kid’s Meal Presentations
Open Lab
Requirement
Worksheet
Worksheet
Worksheet
Worksheets
Full Report
Worksheets
Worksheets
Full Report
Points
10
15
15
15
20
15
15
30